A group of federal employees have filed a complaint over the Trump admin’s policy denying federal health insurance coverage for gender-affirming medical care.
Background: Advocates gather for a rally at the state Capitol complex in Nashville, Tenn., to oppose a series of bills that target the LGBTQ community, Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023 (AP Photo/Jonathan Mattise, File). Inset: President Donald Trump in the East Room at the White House in Washington on January 29, 2025 (Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Sipa USA/Sipa via AP Images).
A group of federal employees has filed a legal complaint challenging a policy under the Trump administration that eliminates federal health insurance coverage for gender-affirming medical care.
The complaint was filed Thursday by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRCF) and argues that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) policy unlawfully discriminates based on sex. According to the filing, OPM announced in August that beginning in 2026, federal health plans will no longer cover what it describes as chemical or surgical medical interventions related to gender transition. The policy applies to both the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) program and the Postal Service Health Benefits (PSHB) program.
Because the PSHB 2026 plan took effect Thursday and the FEHB plan year begins Jan. 11, the complaint states that some federal workers and their families are already affected by the change. The policy aligns with broader actions by President Trump’s administration to restrict or discourage access to gender-affirming care.
The complaint names several federal employees represented by HRCF, including a State Department employee enrolled in an FEHB plan who is scheduled to undergo a medical procedure to treat gender dysphoria, and a Postal Service employee whose child has been advised by medical professionals to take puberty blockers and depends on coverage through the PSHB program.
HRCF President Kelley Robinson said the policy places affected workers in a difficult position by forcing them to choose between their employment and access to medical care. She argued that the exclusion is discriminatory and said the organization intends to challenge it through litigation.
The Department of Justice declined to comment when contacted.
The complaint seeks several forms of relief, including rescinding the OPM policy, a declaration that the exclusion violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act’s prohibition on sex discrimination, retroactive coverage for denied care, and a permanent injunction preventing enforcement of the coverage exclusion. The filing also requests training by OPM on equal employment opportunity laws.
If the issue is not resolved administratively, the complainants plan to pursue class claims before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and may file a class-action lawsuit in federal court, according to Reuters.
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